9554230 Allen The Darden College of Education at Old Dominion University(ODU), in conjunction with the Norfolk Public Schools (NPS), will develop a proposal for a competitive Networking Infrastrcture for Education project, in support of the Norfolk Public Schools' PRIME (Public School Restructuring for Innovative Mainstream Education) Project, a long term(10 year), comprehensive education restructuring initiative. The planning grant will make it possible to: Develop a plan to network the six PRIME schools(complete building network), with internet access from each class room; homes, schools, and community agencies will eventually be linked; Help fund release time for teachers and administrators to collaborate in the development of the technology infrastructure plan and its instructional uses, and plan for staff development to accelerate the learning curve for becoming technologically exemplary teachers; Collaborate with members of the national Academy of sciences Draft National Science Education Standards and the National Council of Teachers of Math Guidances in the development of a compressed, contextual, math and science curriculum; Develop a cadre of involved and committed parents at each school, from a cross section of SES levels, who will be involved in planning grant activities, and to plan school labs with labtop lending for parents and community, with school based computer and telecommunications training; Further seek and develop collaboration with industry and business, and strengthen existing ties and forge new links with the U.S. Navy, which has a large presence in the Norfolk area; develop links with social organizations, for example, libraries, social services, and rest home for mutual benefit; Develop a plan for a full scale test of curriculum compression; develop measurable evaluation criteria for the effects of curriculum compression on student achievement and teacher effectiveness, and to measure the effects of parental and community involvement on student achievement. Teams of teachers, administrators, parents, ODU faculty, NPS central office personnel, and grant staff will meet for three weeks in July and August, 1995, and once each month for seven months, in preparation for performing tasks such as: gathering baseline data on current instructional technology practices, hardware and software configurations, and parental levels of technological expertise using surveys; consulting with members of the national standards of learning for math and science communities, and assessment planners; developing business partnerships through parental contacts and intensive direct solicitation; strengthening a partnership with the Brunswick County Public Schools; identifying staff development imperatives, technology, curriculum and change management. A unique, systematic, restructuring project located in an economically challenged area, PRIME is a prototype for school reform which may be replicated in any school district. PRIME, through its emphasis on technology and telecommunications, seeks to completely redefine the process necessary to prepare students, including those most at risk, for leading roles in a technological, multi cultural global village. Technology will not be viewed as an "add on" to sustain the traditional curriculum. The opportunities provided by a technologically rich environment will extend to parents and community to overcome the isolation of poverty, create trust between a cross section of the population, nationally and internationally, that would otherwise remain isolated for each other.
